Innocence
by Kiminator Mark XII
Summary: On that night, three exceptional shinobi died: two were guilty, and one innocent. Tenten could only with that she had died along with them. Nejiten. T for blood.


**Disclaimer: **I, sadly, do not own.... apparently I don't have the uncanny ability to drag a minute into a whole twenty-two minute episode... meh...

**A/N: **I'm not totally sure where this came from, but I have, yet again, made my friend mad.... she hates depressing stories. But anyway, ONWARD!

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Innocence

Innocent until proven guilty.

Wasn't that always the saying? So why, on that night, did the shinobi of Konoha decide to stray from that particular teaching? Their ways of investigation had never been to jump to conclusions; why did everything go so wrong?

Tenten didn't know, neither did she care. All that mattered was that he was gone, and she was guilty. On that terrible night, three people had died. Two were completely and irrevocably guilty, and one was as innocent as a child. That hardly mattered now, though; they were dead. Tenten could only wish that she had died along with them.

~o0X0o~

For as long as she could remember, Tenten had been in love with the Hyuuga's young prodigy, Neji. This love hadn't just been there one day, it had grown and flourished as she trusted him more and as their friendship grew. That kind of love endured the longest and didn't just... go away. Although on most days, as she tried to cover up her blotchy, red face, she wished that it did. She would give anything to not be able to feel anymore; to just be cold and dead inside so she wouldn't have to deal with the pain and regret and guilt. Her prayers were never answered, her wishes left unheard, and it was enough to drive the young kunoichi insane. She kept telling herself that she deserved to die, and the only reason that she didn't take her own life was _him. He _ had made her promise to never hurt herself, and she just couldn't bring herself to break that promise...

There had been a time, if she recalled correctly, when she had been actually, genuinely happy. In fact, one of the happiest times she could remember was a couple hours prior to the killing of three exceptional shinobi.

Tenten walked leisurely down the beaten path, humming a soft tune that had been floating through her head all day. She was especially elated that particular day because her training had gone well that morning and also because Neji would finally be coming home from a two-week long mission to the Land of Mist. The day one realizes that one does not have to train with the Green Idiots of Konoha the next morning is a _very _good day. Sure, she loved them both because they were her comrades, but she was secretly afraid of over-exposure to their lunacy.

All of the sudden, the most delicious aroma wafted over her and made her mouth water. She inhaled the scent deeply and, fingering the money in her pocket, walked straight into Ichiraku. Tenten sat down comfortably on a barstool and smiled politely at Ayame who came to take her order. The brunette didn't even have to look over the menu.

"I'll have the chicken ramen, please."

"Sure thing!" the old man's daughter grinned back.

The twenty-one year-old rested her elbows on the countertop and flung her head in her hands just as a masked figure entered the small restaurant and settled on the stool beside her. The man looked haggard and worn, his outfit showing signs of blood.

_What in the world is a fully-equipped ANBU doing in Ichiraku? _She frowned slightly with thought. _Wait..._ She gazed at the pale, muscular arm bearing the ANBU mark and then back up toward his mask. And that was when she spotted his hair. The rich, dark locks that had been the bane of every girl's existence ever since she could remember. And his mask... she didn't see why she didn't notice it earlier...

Ayame handed Tenten her bowl of ramen and she smiled gently down into it. "You know, Little Birdie, you're allowed to take your mask off after missions..."

"So you did recognize me," the man stated. "I was wondering when you would, Panda Bear."

The young woman grinned at her childhood nickname. "So how was the mission?" She asked after he'd ordered his ramen.

"It went well." The ANBU said quietly, sliding the hawk-like mask off his face.

It still amazed her that the Hyuuga could just come back from a long mission and still take her breath away without even trying. It was completely unfair. She forced her gaze back to her bowl as a blush crept onto her face. "Straight and to the point," the brunette slurped some noodles, "just like always."

"What else would you expect?" he asked, showing a rare, crooked smile before is disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.

She shook her head in amusement. "I swear, I think you suffer from severe mood swings."

Neji snorted in a brief flash of immaturity before he only shrugged and turned his pale violet eyes to the steaming bowl placed in front of him. The you kunoichi rolled chocolate brown eyes at her friend as an impish grin spread over her features. She finished up the last of her noodles and, as quick as her deft hands would allow, she hurled one of her chopsticks right toward his face. Tenten wasn't quite sure what she was expecting from exploiting this course of action, but it definitely wasn't what happened next. Instead of simply moving a few inches to dodge the projectile, the young man caught it easily between his thumb and forefinger... and promptly launched it back at her. She automatically moved her right hand to deflect it and, as soon as her free hand moved to her last chopstick, something thin and wooden was pressed to her neck.

"I win." he whispered in her ear from where he had reappeared behind her with a chopstick in hand.

The young woman sighed in defeat, dropping the wooden 'weapon' to the table as her comrade made his way to his original stool, a haughty smirk apparent on his face. Tenten went back to her forgotten ramen, noticing the absence of Ayame and her father. They must've left when the two were 'fighting.'

"Hey, Neji—" she started, only to be cut off.

"—Tenten, what are we doing?"

"...Umm... we're having dinner... as friends."

Neji Hyuuga stared solemnly at his miso-ramen. "Anymore, I cannot bring myself to believe that this- whatever we have- is completely innocent."

The brunette bit her lip, heart pounding so loudly that she was sure he could hear it. This was her chance! She could tell him how she felt... she might never work up the courage to tell him again...

"Does is always have to be innocent friendship?" she murmured, not daring a glance at the handsome man next to her. "I'm tired of being _just friends, _Neji."

Her fawn eyes closed as silence consumed her world and she waited for the quiet words of rejection that she knew were inevitable. But instead of feeling the harsh bite of reproachful words, she felt calloused hands grasp her elbows as she was pulled roughly to her feet. Firm, almost marble lips pressed against hers, and she became positively drunk with his strong presence. He pulled away all too quickly and let go of her arms, sinking back down into the stool.

"You just don't get it..." the shinobi almost chuckled bitterly as he ran long fingers through his dark hair. "No matter how much either of us wishes it, we could never be together."

"Ugh!" she slammed her fist down on the counter, making the dishes rattle. "You and your stupid Destiny stuff!! Can't you let that go?!"

"It's not what you think!" his voice rose in volume as he shot to his feet once again. "Tenten, I'm... engaged."

Tenten nearly keeled over backward. "You're WHAT? WITH WHO?"

"I am betrothed to Sakura Haruno." The Hyuuga's voice was slow and deliberate, wavering ever so slightly at the end. He was trying hard not to betray his emotions, and the girl recognized this quickly. He _really_ didn't want this. "The elders say that she's an exceptional kunoichi with important ties to the Hokage... Power. Sources. Strong heirs. That is all they want from this marriage."

She didn't know what to do. She'd never seen her Neji this torn up over something since his dad was murdered. "I'm... sorry.." her slender fingers reached up and rested on one side of his face, tracing the solid jawline.

He simply brushed her hand away before turning his back on her. "I need to think."

And then Neji was gone.

And Tenten was left with more confusing emotions then she'd ever had to deal with before. But, over all, the one that rose to the surface most prominently was anger. Because the kunoichi had seen the very same Sakura Haruno draped over a certain Sasuke Uchiha earlier that very same day.

And nobody cheated on her Neji.

_Nobody._

~o0X0o~

Neji Hyuuga walked along a path that was barely visible through the thick undergrowth. He wound his way through the forest, just following where his feet took him, feeling more confusion than he'd faced in a very long while.

What on earth had compelled him to _kiss_ Tenten?! He'd always prided himself on his self-control, especially around his favorite weapon's mistress. Now, he'd only made things infinitely worse. Now, all he could think about was how sweet and soft her lips were and how her petite hand grazed his jaw. This was a problem. Before, he'd been able to steel himself and put his clan over personal desires. But now... as he realized that he might never be able to hold her in his arms again, his abused feelings revolted. The man's entire system screamed at him relentlessly, telling him to just forget about his clan, grab his brown-haired kunoichi and run. After all, he was quite certain that she would eagerly comply.

But only cowards run from their destiny.

And Neji Hyuuga was no coward; he had to do this.

With that thought forced to the forefront of his mind, the prodigy turned to head back when a frightened yelp echoed in his ears. What the...? The whole forest fell eerily silent once again, and he had the sickening feeling that something was horribly wrong. The shinobi grabbed a kunai from his waist pouch and advanced to where he'd heard the sound. Activating the Byakugan, he scanned the area ahead and behind, slipping into the place where he could just concentrate on being a ninja and not have to worry about his messed-up life. His cold, pale eyes captured a frightening scene of three shinobi: two dead, and one heading straight toward him. The only thing that really frightened him was the fact that he'd know their chakra signatures anywhere.

A small form crashed through the foliage directly in front of him, blatantly oblivious to her surroundings. Neji caught the girl in his strong arms, and she was so surprised to find another person in the woods that she whipped out a kunai and held it to his throat.

"Relax, Tenten," he whispered, heart wrenching at the crimson stains that covered the girl, "it's me."

He heard her gasp audibly as she drew the weapon away from his pale neck. "N-Neji..." the brunette whimpered.

"Tenten..." his usually velvety tone shook with suppressed emotion, "...what have you done?"

Neji knew very well what his kunoichi had done. The evidence was splattered along with the blood on her clothes. The sweetest girl in Konoha was a murderer.

"I didn't mean to!" she wailed into his shoulder, crystalline droplets intermingling with scarlet. "Sakura... was with Sasuke... out here... and I was so _angry..._"

The shinobi wasn't so surprised at the news of Sakura's unfaithfulness, the Haruno had always had a thing for the Uchiha. He was, however, surprised at the fact that his little Panda Bear would kill a fellow Leaf nin. She did have a temper sometimes, but that wasn't like her at all.

"I just... lost control... they're _dead._"

He felt clawed fingers dig into the fabric of his shirt as anguish seemed to pour from her entity. His muscled arms wound around her waist as he pulled her into him. He didn't try to comfort her now, because soothing words would only act like a sweet poison... proving only to make the end result more painful.

Eventually, her sobs lessened and she gained enough control over herself to speak intelligently. "I don't know what came over me... I didn't mean to kill them! You have to believe me!"

"I... understand..." he sighed, not knowing what else he could say.

Suddenly, his pale Byakugan eyes picked up on more chakra signatures about a mile out and coming toward them quickly. It was Kakashi... and he was accompanied by his ninja hounds. Neji had always known that he would die to protect Tenten. He'd do it in battle, and he'd do it in this situation. The only thing that scared him about dying was the fact that he could never again feel her in his arms. He knew that the young woman was a murderer, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He just _needed_ her. So before his over-worked brain could process what in the world he was doing, the Hyuuga had closed the distance between her lips and his, not caring that she stiffened at his touch. He pressed himself into her, trying to imprint her on his brain so he'd never have to forget.

Neji pulled back slowly, his breathing ragged. Tenten looked even more confused and hurt than before as they lapsed into a chilled silence.

"Run away with me..." the brunette mumbled, almost inaudibly.

"Excuse me?"

"Run away with me!" she latched desperately onto his arm. "We could just be together and not have to worry about your stupid clan and their stupid rules! And..."

"You know very well that the Leaf Village would send Tracker nin after us. Two of their best shinobi are dead; they wouldn't just let that go! They would chase after us until we were _both _dead. We would be killed as rouge ninja, running from the very people we used to love... is that really what you want?"

"Then what do you suppose we do?!"

A twig snapped in the distance, and the ANBU knew that he didn't have time to argue with Tenten.

"For now, we'll run!"

"What?"

"Go home! Burn any evidence that would link you to this murder, and I'll be right behind you, I swear. But you have to promise me that you won't turn yourself in, okay? And do not, under any circumstances, purposefully harm yourself."

"Kay, I promise..." the weapon's mistress turned and started to sprint as hard as she could toward the direction of her house.

Neji bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. He was such a liar. But it was all for her sake...

He could hear the dogs barking now; they were really close. The Hatake had already come across the bodies, but had said nothing, just kept on his search for the assailant. Well, he was going to find one.

Just then, the white-haired Jounin emerged into plain sight, dogs fanned out around him. As soon as they smelled the other ninja, the hounds went crazy, barking, growling, and biting at Neji's legs.

It was Tenten. She had spread the blood on her hands and body onto his outfit.

"Enough!" the sensei called off the dogs, freezing as he saw the man in front of him. "... Neji Hyuuga?" His voice seemed cold and dead, not at all like the collected shinobi he really was. Sakura and Sasuke _had _ been his students, after all.

"Kakashi..."

"Why? Why would you of all people do something like that?!"

"She was cheating on me," he answered back simply, "I lost my temper."

Kakashi Hatake reached back warily for a kunai. "You are a convict, Neji Hyuuga, a rouge. You murdered two fellow shinobi. Do you know what the penalty is for such a crime?"

"I am fully aware, Sensei."

He drew back the long blade in his hand and Neji didn't flinch. He would stare death in the face honorably.

"Goodbye, Tenten..." the former ANBU captain murmured, bracing himself as Kakashi let the deadly weapon fly.

~o0X0o~

Tenten realized that Neji had absolutely no intention of following her long after it was too late. She'd gotten them into this mess! It was all her fault.... If only she'd seen through his lies... If only she'd kept her temper under control... If only she hadn't let those shuriken slip away from her fingers...

_If only..._

_If only...._

_If only....._

The girl would've ended her life in the blink of an eye had it not been for that promise she'd made him. It was the last thing he'd said to her... he wanted her safe; he didn't want his sacrifice to be for nothing.

She could still feel him sometimes, like when the sun caressed her face with a warm, gentle touch, or when the wind hugged her body and enveloped her with complete serenity. Sometimes, she would swear that she could feel his fingers running through her chestnut locks or taste his last kiss lingering on her lips. And there were days, when the air was completely still, where she could hear the slightest whisper float through her ears...

"_Don't forget your promise, Tenten, I love you still..."_

The first time it happened, she cried out in shock and searched the entire village for days, just looking for her long-lost lover. He was never to be found and she'd sunk into an even deeper depression than ever before. Tenten had yet to come out of it.

She was guilty.

He was innocent.

It was so simple. And yet, she had to wonder why she was still living, and he was still gone.

Innocent until proven guilty...

What a laugh.

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**A/N: **So there you have it. Yes, I do wright tons of depressing stories. Deal with it.

Review Please!!


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